Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, recently hosted its Solving Workplace Challenges 2018 conference and followed up with a full page article featuring insights from Chris Burkett’s panel discussion on pressing topics in employment law. See the excerpt below or access the complete article here.
“With federal legislation intended to legalize cannabis sale and use expected to be finalized by this summer, some proactive employers are trying to get ahead of the game by considering workplace policies. For many, the timing also presents a good opportunity to assess other workplace policies, such as those dealing with harassment, given the seemingly endless news cycle surrounding those abusing positions of authority. … Christopher Burkett, a partner at the law firm Baker McKenzie in Toronto, says employers have every right to operate their workplace in a way that ensures that staff members are fit to work. Much like an employer wouldn’t tolerate an employee coming back from lunch slurring their speech after a couple of glasses of wine, for example, the same applies to cannabis use. He says: ‘In the same way that you can direct that person and take action in that situation, you now need a policy that aligns your alcohol with your drug policy and your marijuana policy.'”
Christopher Burkett, a partner with Baker McKenzie, Jacqueline Luksha, a lawyer with Hicks Morley, Daniel Lublin, a partner with Whitten & Lublin and Sean Stanleigh, managing editor of The Globe and Mail’s Content Studio, discuss workplace policies on marijuana and anti-harassment.